The controversy comes from the fact that “hot” is really a very relative term. Even though MTV’s list is based on specific criteria – “a combination of rhyme skill, flow, buzz, commercial success, business ventures, Web presence and cultural influence – for the fourth year in a row, their definition of “Hot” seems a little… questionable at times.

Check out the 2010 Hottest MCs in the Game, from 10-1, with a glimpse into the Hip-Hop Brain Trust’s reasoning.

Who else do you feel should have made the list? Who should have been left off?

Where Luda really shined this year, though, was in his collaborations. He was featured on Justin Bieber’s smash “Baby,” which gave the teenybopper some street cred while also giving Luda a huge look at Top 40 radio. The video for “Baby” is the most viewed in the history of YouTube. If that wasn’t enough, ‘Cris jumped on the U.S. version of Taio Cruz’s “Break Your Heart,” and turned what was already a smash in the U.K. into one of the biggest songs of the summer in the States. But Luda kept it hip-hop, too, jumping on DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” which had everybody’s hands going up, to the tune of more than a million singles sold.

B.o.B had a handful of minor looks over the years, yet never one that catapulted him to stardom. There was his 2007 trance-rap single “Haterz Everywhere” and, a year later, the song “I’ll Be in the Sky.” There were countless mixtapes and a co-sign from T.I., who signed B.o.B to his label, Grand Hustle, in 2008. The next year, he was selected as one of XXL’s Freshmen 10, alongside fellow up-and-comers Kid Cudi and Wale. These small victories earned him a small-but-loyal fanbase.

But it wasn’t until this past February, when he dropped the LRG-sponsored mixtape May 25th, that things started to really take off. The tape featured the Bruno Mars-assisted single “Nothin’ on You,” which was instantly embraced by radio. The song hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and sold more than 2 million copies.

Lil Wayne had a helluva 2010, and just think: He wasn’t even around for most of it. The New Orleans MC has been on Rikers Island since March, serving time on a weapons charge that dates back to 2007. But before he went in, the Cash Money rapper adopted a work ethic reminiscent of Tupac Shakur.

A mainstay on the Hottest MCs list, his time away precipitated a fall of five slots from last year’s #2 ranking, but MTV News’ Hip-Hop Brain Trust still voted Lil Wayne the #7 Hottest MC of 2010.

Perhaps Wayne’s biggest accomplishment of the past year was finally seeing his protégés, Nicki Minaj and Drake, become bona fide stars.

#6: Nicki MinajFirst appearance on the list; first female artist on the list

Her influence — whether it’s through her music and the many lyrical characters she embodies, her fashion sense or speaking out about important issues like child abuse and discrimination — is now strong enough that the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust voted her the #6 Hottest MC in the Game. And, like the true pioneer she is, she’s the first woman to make the list.

Nicki’s appeal wasn’t just limited to hip-hop. Christina Aguilera called on her for “Woohoo,” Sean Kingston recruited her for the reggae-tinged “Letting Go,” Usher tapped her for “Lil Freak,” and labelmate Jay Sean did the same for his pop hit “2012.” And to further cement her status as the top feature artist of 2010, Trey Songz’s “Bottoms Up” is currently #2 on Billboard’s R&B Songs chart. On top of all that, her debut album, Pink Friday, doesn’t even drop until next month.

Not only did his fourth LP, Teflon Don, debut at #2 on the Billboard albums chart in July with 176,300 sold its first week, but Ross had the undeniable street anthem “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast),” which sold more than 100,000 copies despite being available on the free Albert Anastasia EP. What’s more, he was still fighting off criticism from being outed as a corrections officer and beefing with 50 Cent. But good music can’t be stopped, and Ross supplied plenty of it this year, so the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust voted him 2010’s #5 Hottest MC in the Game, the same ranking he received last year.

Continue Slideshow

Drake was a staple on radio all year, whether it was “Bedrock” with Young Money, “Money to Blow” with Baby and Lil Wayne, “Forever” with Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem, or any one of the songs from So Far Gone that stayed in rotation.

But Drake also made his presence felt perhaps in the most important arena of the modern music business: performing. Aside from staging the October’s Very Own festival in Toronto this past August (where Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Eminem and Jay-Z made appearances), but he also hit the road for his Light Dreams & Nightmares Tour. And what’s more, he was the guy Eminem and Jay-Z brought out at their Home and Home concert series this past September. Yeah, the big dogs really get down with Drake like that.

A lot of Kanye’s recent buzz has been built off his G.O.O.D. Friday series of song leaks.

“He’s basically putting out a mixtape on the radio,” MTV News supervising producer Sean Lee said during the Hottest MCs roundtable discussion. “These songs are throwaways for his album. He’s taking this beat from here, this feature on here, let me get this person on here, and putting them out to the public. And the public is consistently responding to these records.”

What’s more, Kanye has done everything with a very polished artistic sensibility. No other rapper could pull off having director Marco Brambilla create their very own moving art installation in place of the traditional music video. In fact, probably no other rapper would even think of it.

The type of seniority Jay has in the game is evidenced best when he appears on others’ songs, and 2010 found him doing a lot of that. There was his scene-stealing verse on Rick Ross’ “Free Mason,” on which he addressed the conspiracy theorists that took him to task for his “On to the Next One” video. Then there were a handful of Kanye West records, like “Monster,” “So Appalled” and the “Power” remix. And there was the Drake cut “Light Up.” He was even called on to make a song for charity in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, linking with Rihanna and U2’s Bono and The Edge for “Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour).”

And then there’s the things Jay does outside of hip-hop (he’s not a businessman; he’s a business, man). Despite not being able to woo LeBron James to New Jersey, he’s still a minority owner in the Nets. Along with Will Smith and his wife Jada, Jay produced the Tony-winning Broadway play “Fela.” Plus, he’s the head of Roc Nation, which manages acts as wide-ranging as Mark Ronson, the Ting Tings and recent signee Willow Smith. He also still has a pair of 40/40 sports clubs in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey. All these ventures allowed Jay to top Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash Kings list, with $63 million earned in 2010 alone.

“Something about Em this time around, you don’t feel like he’s following some type of formula,” MTV Jams’ Tuma Basa said. “He didn’t come out with that corny Slim Shady record. This time, he came like, ‘I came to play.’ And the records have this motivational anthemic type [of feel] we haven’t seen in him. He’s stepping into a new space.”

While there’s little doubt Em will take home a stack of trophies at the 2011 Grammys, he actually nabbed two this year for Best Rap Album (Relapse) and Best Performance by a Duo or Group (“Crack a Bottle” with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent). He also brought home VMAs for the Best Male Video and Best Hip-Hop Video for “Not Afraid,” while winning three Teen Choice Awards (Choice Rap Album for Relapse, Choice Rap Artist and Choice Rap/Hip-Hop Track for “Love the Way You Lie”).

He also had a handful of performances on the BET Awards, the VMAs and the Grammy Awards. And who could forget his cameo on the season finale of HBO’s “Entourage”? Em was everywhere in 2010.

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Comments

I like Nicki but y would they put her on a list before her CD even came out? Wtf

http://bossip nan

I saw B.O.B and it was like okay I like him, he’s alright. Fast foward to waka floka *exit thread*

1king

Everbody on the list is hott right now. I don’t know what order they go in but accurate. But that doesn’t make them a good lyricist. Most of them really have no substance in there music. Then you have to consider the people buying the music. Most of them are avid drug users and dont care about the words as long as its easy to remember and doesnt make them think they just want to move and act crazy. Jay z by far has been the most consistent. It’s was never a year when he ain’t drop somthin live.

if this were about “hottest” MCs of the year, sure the list is sort of on point. If its generally speaking then BOB Drake Nicki should be removed. && why the hell was Wacka even on the list? did they run out of rappers or somethin?

Leslie James

Where are Wale and Black Thought? This list is wack as hell.

10 inches on goose

wale is wack he take that go go hip hop bull and shove it!

islandboy

be glad Soulja Boy and Gucci Mane ain’t on the list,Em’s good but I can’t understand how he hitting number 1 these days though.

Damn ya’ll still blinded by color…Em will rap circles around everybody on that list…and i’m a Jay fan, but Em provide his superiority over Jay on Renegade, and check his album unlike most on this list he only gave a versue to one person on his entire album that was Wayne…now how many of the others on the list can carry and entire album themselves….he earned the spot

chi chi

No Fab…smfh

bubble

thata the same thing i was saying fab always gets overlooked

Mac

SOL BLACKMAN. GOOGLE IT.

MSSPORTYB

I Love B.o.B.. I’m Glad He Is On The List.. But Where The H3ll Is Lupe Fiasco.. Why Isn’t Lupe Or Common On This List.. & WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND, Would Think That Waka Flocka Flame Is 1 Of The Hottest MC’s?! Like Really?! Plz Do Better Ppl.!!

Nubian92

I co-sign this as well!!

Nubian92

Co-sign 100%

REALER TALK (Disposed of that Fake Nickel)

WAKA F*CKIN FLOCKA?

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN ME

Oprah's worshipper

Nicki should have been number one ;3 Yeah I said it! and? Next!! lol

sina

def dont think waka flaka or b.o.b should have been on the list and niki should have been more toward the bottom and i can’t believe lil wayne was so low, for sure top 5. They got the top 4 MC’s in the correct order.

Sooperman

Yeah this is an MTV list alright. Kanye number 1 Wayne 2. Jay Z on it because he Jay Z, cat puts out garbage. I see no effort to his music whatsoever. Yup, I just said that.

JUST TOYA

This list loses all credibility for me when it listed Wacka Flocka and then had the nerve to put him over Luda?? Then putting Nicki and Drake over Wayne and Nicki hasn’t dropped yet?? And Em holding on to the #1 spot is laughable to me. He’s extremely talented, but not #1.

WITH AN ATTITUDE, KINDA SNOTTY ACTING REAL RUDE. BUT AS LONG YOU’RE A THICKY THICK GIRL YOU KNOW THAT IT’S ON.
WHAT UP JACKO!!!

tit4tat

I can work with the 1st three but the rest iz street B. Nicki,Flocka. I need thst stuff they are on

SoulSista

The only people on this list saying anything worth listening to are B.O.B, Kanye, and Eminem. They can keep the rest of that garbage. I think Lupe and Kanye had the hottest tracks of the summer with “im beaming’ and ‘power’.

Vee

Em??? Really??? all he raps about is stuffing his childs mother in the trunk everything else is garbage..he still needs to expand lyrically and be able to rap about other things all his raps are angry

Y

Gosh guys, its not THE BEST MCs in the game, its the HOTTEST. Right now whether you like it or not these are pretty much the biggest MCs in demand. They get the most radio play and media interest. Can’t you read headlines??

Y

might I add, the hottest for 2010

http://u bklynlady

Okay, I was born and raised in NY and who the h*ll Is B.O.B? Thats first off, Secondly, this list is so flagrant. Hip hop is truly dead if these are the top artist in the game.

Peace Be Still

REMEMBER MTV IS THE SAME COMPANY IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES THAT DID NOT WANT TO PROMOTE BLACK MUSIC. WHY EVEN CREATE THIS LIST AND HOW IS THE WHITE BOY FIRST

YOU GOT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THESE WHITE FOLKS. IF EMINEM IS NUMBER 1 ON THE LIST THEN THAT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE. HOW AND WHY.

THEY KNOW THAT RAP IS A MONEY MAKER IT IS UP THERE WITH COUNTRY MUSIC IF NOT MORE.
SO TAKE THAT YOU BLACK PEOPLE.

KEEPING MARRYING THEM AND GIVING UP YOUR MONEY. SORRY TO GO THERE.

micial

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